Skiving machine



April 26, 1932.

T H. SEELY S KIVING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 24,

4 T. H. SEELY SKIVING MACHINE April 26, 1932,

Filed Feb. 24, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 W v /v 717?. 32mm,

Abril 2 1932. T, H, EEL 7 1, 55,424

SKIVING MACHINE Filed Feb. 24, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet s Fig. 3.

//v v /v 7.0/1

April 26,1932. SEELY 1,855,424

SKIVING MACHINE Filed Feb. 24, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 ,UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS H. SEELY, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SKIVING MACHINE Application filed February 24, 1930. Serial No. 430,?27.

This invention relates to cutting machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for skiving counter blanks, box toe blanks and similar articles for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

In skiving counter blanks and similar articles it is common to use a machine of the general type shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,173,359, granted February 29, 1916, upon an application filed in the name of Elmer E. Lane, said machine comprising, among other features, a knife, a roll having a matrix, a series of spaced yielding fingers adapted to press the blank into the matrix and a feed roll made up of a series of spaced toothed disks which engage the blank in the spaces between the fingers. These fingers are individually adjustable; and inasmuch as there are sometimes as many as forty of them it is very desirable, in case one of them has to be removed and replaced, that the adjustments of the others should not be disturbed.

According to one feature of the invention the construction is such that any selected finger may be removed and replaced while the others are maintained in their adjust-ed positions. In the illustrated machine each finger has an open-sided recess to receive a rounded rib formed-upon a finger supporting member, the rib serving as a fulcrum about which the fingers are pivoted. Each finger is urged by a spring to swing toward the work, the extent of such movement being limited by an adjusting screw which engages the rear end of the finger. With this construction any selected finger may be removed and replaced without disturbing the adjustments of the other fingers by disconnecting the-finger from its spring and slipping the recessed portion of the finger olf from the rounded rib upon which it is fulcrumed.

In removing a finger in the manner described above, the finger is moved in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of feed movement of the work, the construction being such that during the operation of the machine the force exerted upon the finger by the forward movement of the work tends to seat the fingers more firmly upon the fulcrum rib. It sometimes happens, for example When a piece of work becomes jammed between the rolls, that it is desirable to turn the rolls backward by hand in order to release the piece of work. In such case the backward movement tends to move the fingers in a direction to disconnect them from their support.

According, therefore, to another feature of the invention means are provided for preventing the fingers from being detached from their support in such and similar circumstances. In the illustrated machine the fulcrum rib is formed on the front end of the finger support which faces toward the feed and matrix rolls; and on the rear end of the finger support is a plate which extends into notches formed in the fingers so that the fingers cannot be moved in a direction substantially opposite to that of the forward feed movement of the work far enough to disconnect them from the fulcrum rib. This plate is fastened to the rear end of the finger support by means of cap screws and therefore can be readily removed or swung away about the axis of one of the screws to permit a selected finger to be detached from the finger support.

Other features of the invention relate to means for locking the adjusting screws for the fingers in adjusted position and to improved means for adjusting the fingers as a unit.

These and other features of the invention including certain details of construction and combinations of parts will be described as embodied in an illustrated machine and pointed out in the appended claims. 7

Referring now to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side'elevation of a portion of a machine in which thepresent invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is substantially a plan view of the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1, ex-

cept for the-feed rolls and knife, said view being taken in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 but with all of the parts above the presser fingers removed; and

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal median section through the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

The machine, as has been explained above, is of the general type shown in United States Patent No. 1,173,359. Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 4 it comprises a matrix roll 6 having a matrix 8 and a combined presser and feed roll made up of a series of toothed disks 10 fastened to a shaft 12 and spaced apart by washers 14. Located in the rear of these rolls is a knife 16 the edge of which extends close to the bite of the rolls. Pieces of work such as counter blanks are fed one by one from a magazine, not shown, to the rolls which are rotated in a direction to feed the blank to the knife, said knife acting to skive off from the blank that portion of it which projects above the matrix. In order to insure that the blanks shall be pressed firmly into the matrix as they are fed to the knife, a series of presser fingers 18 extend between the toothed disks 10 and engage the work at a locality just in front of the edge of the knife. The parts of the machine referred to above, except for the presser fingers, are or may be like the corresponding parts of the patented machine. and no further description of them will be given.

Mounted in spaced uprights 5 of the frame of the machine is a shaft 7 upon which is hung in a manner presently to be described carrier upon which the fingers 18 and the mechanism for adjusting them individually are mounted. The carrier comprises two plates 9 and 11 (see Figs. 1 and 4) connected by two cross bars 13 and 15. The cross bar 13 has flanges, one at each end, which are fastened respectively to the plates 9 and 11 by cap screws. In Fig. 4 one of these flange-s and the heads of cap screws 17 are shown. The cross bar 15 by which the fingers 18 are pivotally supported is fastened at its opposite ends to the plates 9 and 11 respectively (see Fig. 3) by screws 19 and 21.

The plates 9 and 11 of the carrier are provided in their lower rear portions with alined bores through which passes a shaft 23, said shaft having at its extreme ends crank pins 25 and 27 which extend respectively into bores in the rear ends of links 29, 31, the forward ends of said links being pivoted respectively about alined pins 33, 37 which are carried by the frame of the machine and held in place by set screws one of which is shown at 39. In order to hold the shaft 23 in adjusted angular position the rear end of the link 31 is split and provided with a pinch screw 41; and, in order to facilitate turning the shaft 23, holes 43 are provided to receive a pin or small bar, two of said holes being shown in Fig. 3. hen the pinch screw 41 is loosened and the shaft 23 turned, the whole carrier is swung about the axis of the shaft 7 to adjust the fingers substantially horizontally toward and from the edge of the knife. In order to permit adjustment of the fingers as to height, the shaft 7 has pinned to its ends eccentrics 45, 47 (see Fig. 2) which are rotatable in alined bores in the frame of the machine. The eccentric 45 has extending from it an arm 49 provided at its outer end with an arcuate slot through which passes the stem of a screw 51 which is threaded into the plate 9 and has at its outer end a nut 50 and a washer 52. When the nut has been loosened and the arm 49 is swung to rotate the eccentrics 45, 47 and the shaft 7, the whole carrier swings up or down about the alined axes of the pins 33, 37, and this movement serves to adjust the fingers into the desired position above the matrix roll 6. In the two adjustments which have been described above the presser fingers are adjusted in each case as a unit.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 4 each finger 18 has the lower part of its middle portion cut out, as indicated at 53, to receive the upper portion of the cross bar 15. In the forward wall of the cut-out 53 is a rounded recess to receive a rounded rib 55 which projects from the forward face of the cross bar 15 and serves as a fulcrum about which the fingers 18 may swing. The rear wall 57 of the cut-out 53 extends down into close proximity to a hardened plate 59 which is fastened to the rear face of the cross bar 15 by cap screws, one of which is shown at 61. The extreme rear ends of the fingers are acted upon by springs which exert an upward pull on the rear ends and thus tend to swing the forward, operative ends of the fingers down about the axis of the rounded rib 55, the extent to which the fingers may be so swung being limited by adjusting or stop screws. Inasmuch as the fingers are thin and spaced apart from one another by short distances, it is desirable to arrange the springs in staggered relation and to arrange the adjusting screws similarly. Each finger has near its rear end two notches either of which m y, be used to receive one end of a spring. In the finger shown in Fig. 4 the outer notch receives the lower end of a spring and every alternate finger reckoned from the one shown has its outer notch engaged by the lower end of a similar spring. The series of springs 65 is shown in 2. In each of the remaining fingers, the inner notches are engaged by the lower ends of springs 67, this series of springs being also shown in Fig. 2. The upper ends of the springs 65 are attached to pins 69, and the upper ends of the springs 67 are connected to pins 71. The pins 69 are driven into one side and the pins 67 into the other side of a bar 73., the ends of which are slidably received in guideways formed in blocks 75, 77 mounted on the carrier. In order to adjust the bar up and down in the guideways so as to vary the tension of the springs, two screws 79, 81, threaded up. through that portion of the carrier upon which the blocks 7 5, 77 are mounted, engage respectively with their upper ends the under surfaces of the reduced ends of the bar 73.

In order to limit the extent of upward movement of the rearends of the fingers 18 and hence to determine the normal height of the forward operative ends of the fingers above the matrix roll, adjusting screws 85, 87 are provided, as shown in Fig. 2. These adjusting screws are arranged in staggered relation, the screws in the rear row being indicated at and those in the front row at 87. The screws 85, threaded through a rear-ward extension of the cross bar 13 (see Fig. 4:), engage those alternately arranged fingers 18 which are acted upon by the springs 65. The screws 87, also threaded through the same extension of the cross bar 13, engage those fingers which are acted upon by the springs 67. After the screws 85, 87 have been adjusted to move the fingers 18 into the desired angular positions, the screws should be held from accidental turning. To this end a series of clamps or looks are provided each of which holds a group of three screws. Clamps of two different shapes are used so as to provide a compact and efiicient construction. Referring to Fig. 2 the clamp nearest to the bottom of that figure comprises a block 89 and a screw 91. The block has a bore at its forward or left-hand end to receive one of the screws 87 and also has near its middle two oppositely disposed semicircular recesses to receive two of the screws 85. The screw 91 bears against the two screws 85 and acts when tightened to hold the three screws from turning. The next to the lowermost clamp in Fig. 2 comprises a block 93 and a screw 95. This block has near its left-hand end two oppositely disposed recesses to receive two of the screws 87 and has near its middle a bore to receive one of the screws 85. The screw 95 bears against the screw 85 and when tightened holds the three screws from turning. These two forms of clamps are arranged alternately with one another along the lines of screwsl In the illustrated construction the number of screws is not divisible exactly by three and consequently one screw (the upper one of Fig. 2) is left over, this particular screw being held from turning by a set screw 97. These clamps (see Figs. 1 and 4) rest upon an extension which projects rearwardly from the bar 13. In Fig. 1 a clamp having a block 89 is shown while in Fig. 4 a clamp having a block 93 is shown.

In the operation of the machine the shaft 7 with its eccentrics is turned to adjust the fingers 18 as a unit into the desired position ,above :the matrix roll ;6,'th e shaft 23 is turned to adjust the fingers also as a unit substantially horizontally into the desired position in front of the knife, and the adjusting screws 85, 87 are turned to adjust the fingers individually toward and from the matrix roll; and if it is desired to vary the tension of the springs 65, 67 the screws 79., 81 are turned to raise or lower the bar 73. When it becomes necessary to remove and replace a finger, for example one which has been broken, that finger is disconnected from its spring, the plate 59 is removed or swung out of the way and the'finger is slipped off from the fulcrum rib 55. A new finger is then put in place, the plate is put back into operative position, and the spring connected to the finger.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine of the class described having,

in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of individually adjustable fingers for pressing the work against the work support, and a support to which the fingers are connected, the connection comprising interem gaging portions on the fingers and the finger support including an open-sided recess whereby a selected finger may be removed and replaced while maintaining the remaining and the finger support including an open- 4 sided recess whereby a selected finger may be removed and replaced while maintaining the remaining fingers in their adjusted positions.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work tothe knife, a series of individually adjustable fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a support to which the fingers are pivotally connected, the pivotal connection being constructed and arranged to permit removal and replacement of a selected finger while maintaining the remaining fingers in their adj usted positions, and a carrier for the finger support mounted for movement to adjust the fingers as a unit toward and from the work support.

4:. A machine of the class described having,

in combination, a knife, a work support, I

means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of individually adjustable fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a support to which the fingers are pivotally connected, the pivotal connection being constructed and arranged to permit removal and replacement of a selected finger while maintaining the remaining fingers in their adj usted positions, and a carrier for the finger suport mounted for movement to adjust the ngers as a unit in one direction toward and from the work support and in another direction toward and from the edge of the knife.

5. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of adjust able fingers for pressing the work against the work support, and a support to which the fingers are detachably connected, said connection comprising interengaging portions on the fingers and the finger support and in cluding a rib and an open-sided recess whereby a selected finger may be removed and replaced while maintaining the remaining fingers in their adjusted positions.

6. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, :1 series of adjustable fingers for pressing the work against the work support, and a support to which the fingers are pivotally and detachably connected, said connection comprising interengaging portions on the fingers and the finger support and including a rib and an opensided recess whereby a selected finger may be removed and replaced while maintaining the remaining fingers in their adjusted positions.

7. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, and a finger support having a fulcrum, the fingers having open-sided recesses to receive the fulcrum whereby a selected finger may be removed and replaced while the remaining fingers are maintained in position.

8. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a support for the fingers from which the fingers are individually detachable by moving the fingers in one direction, and means adapted normally to prevent movement of the fingers in that direction to an extent suflicient to detach them from their support, said means being movable, when desired, out of the path of movement of the fingers in the direction named to permit the fingers to be detached.

9. A skiving machine having, in combination, a. knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a support for the fingers from which the fingers are individually detachable by moving the fingers in a direction substantially opposite to that of the feed movement of the work, and means for preventing the fingers from being detached when the direction of feed movement is reversed.

10. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a support for the fingers from which the fingers are individually detachable by moving the fingers in a direction substantially opposite to that of the feed movement of the work, and a member adapted normally to prevent movement of the fingers in a direction to detach them, said memher being capable of being moved out of the way to permit the fingers to be detached.

11. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support over which the work is fed to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a member common to all the fingers upon which the fingers are pivot-ally mounted, the pivotal connection comprising a fulcrum and a recess whereby any finger may readily be removed and replaced while the remaining fingers are in position, the construction being such that forward movement of the work presses the fulcrum into the recess, and means for preventing removal of the fingers if the direction of feed movement of the work is reversed.

12. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a member common to all the fingers to which the fingers are pivotally connected, the pivotal connection comprising a fulcrum and a recess whereby the fingers may be detached from the-finger support by moving them in a given path, and a member located normally to prevent detachment of the fingers, said member being capable of being moved out of the said path of movement of the fingers to permit them to be detached.

18. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a support to which the fingers are pivotally connected, the connection comprising a fulcrum and an open-sided recess to receive the fulcrum, the fingers being cut away to provide a space into which the finger support extends, and a member carried by said support for preventing movementof the fingers in a direction to cause disengagement of the fulcrum and the open-sided recess.

1a. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a matrix member, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of pivoted fingers for pressing the work into the matrix, springs acting upon the fingers, a carrier for the fingers, and a plurality of pivots about which the carrier is adjustable.

15. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a matrix member, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of pivoted fingers for pressing the work into the matrix, springs acting upon the fingers, a carrier for the fingers, a plurality of pivots about which the carrier is adjustable, and means for varying the tension of the springs.

16. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a matrix member, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of pivoted fingers for pressing the work into the matrix, springs acting upon the fingers, a carrier for the fingers, a plurality of pivots about which the carrier is adjustable, and means for adjusting the fingers individually.

17. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of adjustable fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a series of adjusting screws for the fingers arranged in a plurality of rows in staggered relation, and a series of locks for the screws, said locks being adapted to engage the screws in groups of three.

18. A skiving machine having, in combination, a knife, a work support, means for feeding the work to the knife, a series of adjustable fingers for pressing the work against the work support, a series of adjusting screws for the fingers arranged in a plurality of rows in staggered relation, and a series of locks for the screws, said locks being adapted to engage the screws in groups of three, one

only of each group being located in one of the rows.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

THOMAS H. SEELY. 

